Berggren was 'one of Delano's best'

Posted on: Aug 16, 2018

Berggren was 'one of Delano's best'

When the doors of Delano Middle School opened in 1975, Tom Berggren was there as a 23-year-old rookie embarking on his teaching career.

When the middle school closed for good this spring Berggren remained, making him the only staff member whose career spanned the full 43 years of the middle school’s existence.

The building will transition to a high school for grades 7-12 next year, and Berggren has decided to retire from his first and only teaching position rather than make the transition up the hill to the new intermediate school along with the rest of the fifth-grade staff.

“I told myself when the vote came through that I would stay in the middle school until it was gone,” said Berggren, now 66, who tops the district’s seniority list. “If it would have stayed a middle school I might have stayed another year or two, but I’m about 10 years past the Rule of 90 so I guess I can leave now. I think I’m ready, but I’ve loved it here. This is home.”

Delano Middle School Principal Barry Voight said Berggren was “dedicated to his students, a sincere friend and mentor to his colleagues, an icon in the DMS community and a favorite among students.”

Berggren’s fifth-grade teaching colleagues agreed.

“Mr. Berggren is an incredibly talented and creative teacher who demanded the very best from his students,” said John Bingea. “His sense of humor, energy and enthusiasm made learning fun and memorable.”

Karen Shallbetter called Berggren a “legend” and a “cornerstone” of the middle school and its philosophy, noting his essential role in three pillars of the fifth-grade experience: the units on mystery powders and homesteading, and the trip to Long Lake Conservation Center.

Shallbetter noted that Berggren also ran a fun classroom, naming nearly every object, including light switches Kurt and Kyle. His students also enjoyed his “Tax Man” act during math lessons and meeting his pet tarantulas. In addition to coaching, Berggren also engaged students outside the classroom in recess games of four square.

“He’s been a champion of students from day one, and words alone cannot describe his booming personality and the quirky style he brings to the classroom,” Shallbetter said. “Mr. Berggren tells it like it is, but he does it with humor, warmth and good-natured ribbing.”

Arriving and staying
Berggren graduated from St. Louis Park High School and attended college at Mankato State, where he majored in geography and history and earned a minor in earth science. A stint at St. Cloud State University followed to earn his elementary teaching degree before he interviewed for a fifth-grade teaching position in Delano.

“I went in for the interview and I got hired that very day, so maybe it was meant to be,” he said. “I’ve loved it. There have been changes and challenges, but it’s always been very rewarding here.”

While many teachers move around in their first few years on the job, Berggren said he never felt the urge to explore a different district.

“One thing that kept me here is the fifth-grade staff members,” Berggren said. “The ones who I started out with, those people are long gone. But people like Sue Wallinga and John Bingea, Karen Shallbetter, the Olsons (Erin and Jacob) and Rebecca Olmscheid, are just a very easy group, a very flexible group. We’ve worked hard together. It’s kind of like a family outside my family.”

Speaking of family, Berggren’s daughter, Amanda Weinandt, is a math teacher in the high school, and his daughter-in-law Katy Berggren teaches fourth grade at Delano Elementary. His wife Gail and son Brice work in the Dassel-Cokato schools.

“I have my family near me and I have my school family here, so it’s been very, very sweet,” Berggren said. “I can’t say that I’ve ever wanted to leave my colleagues or the students in this school.”

Berggren also pointed out that it isn’t unusual for fifth-grade teachers in Delano to stay for the long-term.

“People don’t leave very often, he said. “It has been a very close-knit group of friends.”

Changes and coaching
As for changes in his profession over the decades, Berggren said the essentials are the same but some of the tools have changed. Smart boards have replaced blackboards, and laptops and tablets have become commonplace.

“I can learn new tricks. It’s just getting a little bit harder,” Berggren said.

In the classroom, a greater focus on curriculum has reduced time for fun features like the homesteading unit, and action-oriented technology has challenged students’ own capacity for creativity. Experiences like homesteading and the LLCC trip have been preserved, however, and continue to expose students to a variety of fun and educational opportunities.

In addition to teaching, Berggren coached seventh-grade football for his entire 43-year career. He also coached wrestling and basketball and spent time as an official. Over the past 10 years he has competed against his son Brice, who is the seventh-grade football coach in Dassel-Cokato.

“I’m up 6-4, so I thought maybe I should quit while I’m ahead,” Berggren said with a laugh.

Bittersweet departure
Berggren plans to do some substitute teaching in Delano and Dassel-Cokato during retirement, and looks forward to visiting the intermediate school. While he won’t miss evenings spent grading papers at home, Berggren said the teaching experience is one he wouldn’t trade for any other career.

“It has all been very good,” he said. “I can’t say there has been a day that I didn’t want to come to school. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a job in such a nice school district, so it will be very bittersweet to leave.”

That sentiment, for other DMS staff members, is mutual.

“While his accolades could go on and on, we’ll close with one final thought -- more than a thousand students’ lives have been impacted by his love of learning, his willingness to explore and his support of hands-on educational experiences,” said Shallbetter.

For Bingea, the predominant feeling in the end is one of gratitude.

“We feel honored and blessed,” he said, “to have taught with one of Delano’s best.”

Note: Five long-time staff members have retired from Delano Public Schools this spring. Each will be featured in the coming weeks.

Post Categories: Intermediate School